vi. PREFACE. 
But, however valuable and ufeful many of 
the treatifes already publifhed on this fubject | 
have been, he is confident, from the repeated. 
obfervations and experiments he has made, 
that moft of them are not only defective, but 
even erroneous in many particulars ; and that. 
the culture of bees in Britain}, has mever. 
yet arrived at any thing near that degree of 
perfection, to which it might be brought, if 
the fyftem which he has formed, and now fub- 
mits to the public, were generally underftood » 
‘and properly practifed. If we only confider 
the almoft infinite number of mellifluous flow- 
ers, which perfume the air in the honey fea- 
fon ; and, in particular, the white clover, which 
fo generally and profitably now overfpreads 
fo large a part of our lands in grafs ; the va- 
| rious 
his chief pleafure, as well as bufinefs, to ftudy every poffible im- 
provement refpecting that wonderful race. During the honey | 
feafon, he hasvoften been fo intent upon this ftudy, that he hard- 
ly allowed himfelf fleep for whole weeks together. 
~ Although the author, in making out his calculations rela- 
tive to the increafe of Bee hives, was under the neceffity of 
confining himfelf to fome one particular country, and naturally 
made choice of his native land, his plan will, neverthelefs, he 
is confident, apply with equal propriety to Encuanp, TRELAND, 
America, or indeed any other part of the known wor 
of producing proper food for de infects, Peele 
\ 
